Friday 31 July 2020

The Ballard of Bethnal Green - Paddy Roberts

Once again at dusk things didn't look at all promising,
which was the way it turned out,
 but by dawn, well let's just say,
"you could wake up to a far worse vista than this from your front doorstep"!
Nothing new, and close to nothing at all but feel we should keep the
Moth momentum going with the occassional daliance with
All Our Yesterdays!
 POPLAR HAWK-MOTH
common and caught frequently along with the
 larvae / caterpillar
of varying forms.
Before leaving one of the 'horse ladies' found a
 HEDGEHOG
 something we have only heard tell of across the
Recording Area
so something of a minor 'tick' for me.
They now fall into the 'endangered- catagory!
 
 GOAT MOTH
best described as sporadic but good to see when one does turn up!
First stop was the Gravel Pit where there was something of a suprise 
 in the form of half a dozen
 SAND MARTIN
as they have not bred here for 3 or 4 seasons now it was thought
these may well have been early breeds and their juveniles
making an exit for the wintering grounds while the going is good?
ORANGE SWIFT
which is also plentiful.
 The, or another
GREY HERON
 was also on site
 maybe the reason for the total absence of either
eggs or humbugs of the
Little Grebe Clan.
OAK EGGAR
again not rare.
 While monitoring the traps on the Heath we encountered c2
 BADGERs
on oppositg tracks
DEATH'S-HEAD HAWK-MOTH
there cannot be a Moth'er alive, who has not caugh this beauty,
who doesn't have this leviathan firmly at the top of their
Want's List!
This specimen was caught by our friend Paul Harris some years ago when he
immediately transported it to my home in Weymouth then as knowing full
well it would be of Great Interest to me!
"I'm still smarting Bomber"!
 As far as Avians were concerned it was yet another case of 'same old'
but nonetheless satisfying for all that.
A male 
 LINNET
with a 'tick' at the base of the bill and
another close to the left eye appeared to be supervising
the
Juveniles
as a
 COMMON WHITETHROAT
put in no more than a
one minute appearance,
and representing the more delicate 
Moths
MAIDEN'S BLUSH
common but delicately beautiful! 
An old time ditty came to mind when spotting this
Tail-less Male Stonechat!
Adapted from

THE BALLAD OF BETHNAL GREEN
by
Paddy Roberts

I'll tell a tale of a ‘tail-less’ male and a maid of sweet sixteen
He was blond and dumb and he lived with his Mum
On the edge of Bethnal Green
He worked all week for a rich old Greek
as his dad was on the dole
And his one delight on a Friday night
Was to have a bit of rock and roll.

Chorus

To my rit-fal-lah, to my itty-fal-lal
To my itty-bitty-fal-dal day.

Then one fine day in the Month of May he found his big romance
She was smart and sleek, with a scar on her cheek
And a pair of drainpipe pants
And he thought ‘with you, I could be so true,
Through all the years to come’
For he loved the gay abandoned way
she chewed her chewing-gum.
Chorus...
It started well because he fell for all her girlish charms
But he had some doubt when he caught her out
In someone else’s arms
And he said, “Look here, you know my dear,
This is going a bit too far
And he went quite white and he sloshed her right
In the middle of her cha-cha-cha.
Chorus...
So he went before a man of the law who said, “This will not do
I’ve had enough of the kind of stuff
as I get's from the likes of you.”
And he was peeved when he received
A longish term in clink
In a fit of pique she married the Greek
And now she lives in mink.
Chorus...

A Trick of the Tale!

Thursday 30 July 2020

Are Friends Electric - Tubeway Army

OUR NEW ONES ARE!
There is one thing which is certain in my life,
while fit and able, and that is that the Moth Traps
are monitored at the earliest posible convenience with the Insectsbeing
Returned to the Wild Unharmed!  
06:00 is a lovely time of day at this time of year and on occassion the nocturnals are not alone.
We started with a waterlogged
LARGE WHITE BUTTERFLY
glued to one of the traap collars by condensation but quickly
rescued, dried out and released.
Things took a bit of an upward turn as we ventured further afield
to find 2 x First's for the year
 LEASTCARPET
and
 DARK SPINACH
on the Heath.
They do say that 
"A Change is as Good as a Rest"
and on the day it was certainly true as meeting at 08:30 with 
Senior Apprentice Chloe
for a 
Dalliance in Darkest Dorset but more particularly the tiny hamlet of Morton!
Here lie 2 of my favouate monuments in the county and while not the remostest bit
religeous one of there is a Church and the other a nearby Grave
and an absolute joy to share with someone else!
 The church of 
 dates back to before the 1400' as it's dedication was changed in 1490 and 1776
and rebuilt in both 1776 and again after suffering a direct hit from a German bomb in 1940.
It is without doubt most famous for its 13 'engraved' windows  (not stained glass which is far more usual) by poet and artist Sir Laurence Whistler.
Unfortunately the church was locked due to the current situation but a wander around the church and graveyard
 reveiled some interesting
 STONES
 and these mighty
YEW TREEs
While getting totally inadequate views of the windows from the outside
 we were certainly not going to be beaten by the virus as reaching into the
Depths of the Archive.
 We have click these images on extra-large for best effect.
 Note the Spitfire Wing
Morton Manor in the Snow
 Salisbury Cathedral
There were many memories for me here but none stronger than the days
 when along with my 2 daughters, as children,  did 
Brass Rubbings
of this and other 'brasses' there and elsewhere.
Only a short walk past a number of the beautiful 
Village Buildings
 A Private Dwelling (r) and the Old School House,
erstwhile a fantastic Tea Room, closed for reasons unknown a few years ago?
"Who's That Girl" - Madonna
 Manor House
and the 
Cemetary Lytch Gate
before reaching the last resting place of
 British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer
T. E. (Thomas Edward) LAWRENCE
far better known as
LAWRENCE of ARABIA
(or so Peter 'o' Toole told me!)
Back outside the gate I was singing
"The Lamia" by Genesis to the vivacious Chloe
where we happened upon
Jo, Peter and their 2 Most Delightful Children.
We broke into some light and then more meaningful conversation
(while I speak for the sextet here to say)
we jelled imediately and invited them for tea and cake at the 
'free to enter' but do ask for a donation
Walled Garden
a delight in itself, 
Do Not Miss this if you Venture that Way!
 The childeren found, and identified, a
 juvenile
 ROBIN
among enough plant-life, both wild and cultivated,
to please Percy Thrower, Alan Titchmarsh and Monty Don for evermore,
 while Chloe and I endulged ourselves with posing a-front both
ARTWORK
and
 GARDEN FOUNTAIN
Only regret, if you can call it that was not enough 'clicking'
especially in the Tea Room - a delight!
WE BOTH HEARTILY THANK YOU FOR YOU VIBRANT COMPANY!
and it being 05:40 let me be the FIRST to wish you a
VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Dear Lady!